By Kevin Boneske
Staff Writer
ASHWAUBENON – Members of the Ashwaubenon Jaguar Marching Band will be heading to New York City next month to perform in the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
Marc Jimos, director of bands, said this year will mark the fourth time the high school marching band will be performing in the parade, which will be held Saturday, March 16.
Jimos noted approximately 130-140 band members will be flying to New York, along with 20-plus adult chaperons and about another 75 high school choir members, leaving March 14 and returning March 18.
“We’re really excited,” he said.
Being that school will be in session at AHS the week leading up to the parade, Jimos said flying to New York this year will eliminate two days of travel time.
To make the trip to New York possible at a reduced cost, Jimos said Schneider’s transportation and logistics services is donating transportation to ship all the luggage and equipment, which for the band students will include the instruments and their new uniforms.
Jimos noted the luggage and equipment will be loaded up March 12 to be trucked out to New York and arrive by the time the students fly out there.
He said the students have done a lot of fundraising to finance this year’s trip, such as with chocolate, fruit and pizza sales.
The AHS band, which has performed in events around the United States, including in Hawaii two years ago, last performed in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in New York City in 2015.
Jimos said the band goes on a trip every two years, and its application was accepted to perform in this year’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade
The St. Patrick’s Day Parade runs along Fifth Avenue and is reviewed from the steps of St. Patrick’s Cathedral by the Archbishop of New York.
While marching along the approximately two-mile parade route, Jimos said the band will be performing two songs, “On Wisconsin” and the Fighting Irish theme song.
In addition to marching in the parade, Jimos said the band members will be sightseeing while in New York, such as visiting the 9/11 Memorial, Museum of Natural History and Liberty Island, as well as attending a couple of Broadway shows.
When including approximately 30 students on the trip being in both band and choir, Kristen Pfluger, who is in her first year as high school choir director, said about 75 AHS choir students will be traveling to New York to perform.
Pfluger said a permit was applied for so the choir members could have an outdoor performance with a couple of patriotic songs by the flagpole on Liberty Island.
She noted the choir members will also go sightseeing on the trip, which cost $1,585 per student, with some of the students electing to pay $115 more to be able to see a more expensive show on Broadway, “Mean Girls.”